The eviction of Ca l'Espina takes more than seven hours due to an occupant who had placed his arm in cement.
The police also rescued a person who had climbed down the facade with a rope.
BarcelonaThe Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) completed the eviction of the Ca l'Espina block in Barcelona's Gràcia neighborhood this Thursday. The four-story building located on Carrer Asturias had been occupied for five years and had been warning for some time on social media that they were "waiting" to be evicted. The police operation began around 9:00 a.m., but was extended until 4:00 p.m. because one of the occupants stuck her arm in a drum of cement in an attempt to stop the eviction. Police sources clarify that the young woman is in good health.
The Catalan police have sealed off the Gràcia neighborhood due to this eviction. Traffic up to Carrer Gran de Gràcia was cut off from Avinguda Diagonal, with dozens of police patrols in the area and a police helicopter hovering overhead. Several police drones were also in the air. The police have extracted a total of six occupants from the building. One of them was hanging from the facade with ropes and had to be rescued by police mountaineering specialists. The six people were reported by the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police).
Since early morning, around fifty protesters have attempted to prevent the eviction, and a pro-Palestinian demonstration later joined, eventually gathering around one hundred people. Around 9:00 a.m., numerous Mossos d'Esquadra public order units arrived in the area and pushed the protesters away from the building entrance. This action was carried out without significant incident, apart from a scuffle and a hiding inside a fruit shop opposite. The police used batons at some points to gain a position and push the protesters away from the building.
Inside the building were several people wearing white masks. Before finding them, the police had to remove numerous obstacles. The building was fortified, with wood, furniture, and other objects placed on its doors to hinder access, and displayed several pro-occupation banners, such as "Gorgeous Grace will continue to be occupied" and a Palestinian flag. The Brimo Machines group was in charge of removing these obstacles. According to police sources, all the apartments were fortified. "Patience and keep going," commented an officer involved in the operation.
The owners explain themselves.
The blog's owners have even gone so far as to evict them. It's a family real estate agency, Bojous, where his parents and son, Oscar, work. He explains that, according to the law, they are large property owners because they own around twenty homes, but they don't engage in speculation or allow tourist apartments: "We offer affordable rentals," he asserts. They bought this blog, in a prime location in Gràcia, in 2019 from two sisters and wanted to renovate it to build apartments, as it was outdated. A few weeks later, however, they occupied the property.
The owners decided to have one of their "relatives" live on the ground floor, where an old business premises is located, to monitor the situation in the block. This man explains that around ten people have always lived there and complains that they have often made his life miserable. The owners also report harassment by the occupiers, who have painted their office and the house in which they live.